Foxtel has confirmed the third and final season of the Peabody Award-winning series The Leftovers, the journey of one family’s desperate efforts to cope with the long-term aftermath of “The Departure” – in which 140 million people vanished from the face of the earth.

The cause of that incredible event remains unknown, and there is no indication that those who are gone will ever be seen or heard from again.

From Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the hit series Lost, and based on characters introduced in the bestselling 2011 novel by Tom Perrotta (a co-creator and EP), this one-hour HBO drama series focuses on erstwhile residents of a New York town trying to make sense of a global event dubbed “The Departure,” in which two percent of the world’s population were “taken” (i.e. vanished), while others were left behind.

Taking place four years after events in Season 2 and nearly seven years since “The Departure”, The Leftovers finds the Garvey and Murphy families – who met, clashed and bonded last season in the “Miracle” town of Jarden, Texas – coming together as they desperately grasp for systems of belief to help better explain that which defies explanation. Their world is crackling with the energy of something big about to happen: a corresponding bookend to the sudden departure that sent them all spinning years earlier, bringing their final journey Down Under for an improbable, and thrilling, series climax.

One of the most inventive, unpredictable drama series on television, The LeftoversSeason 3 was filmed on location in Texas and Australia. Creator Damon Lindelof said, “Australia is the end of the world geographically and our show is about the end-of-the-world emotionally. And there’s also something about Australian cinema – it’s primal, ancient and spiritual – that felt like it fit The Leftovers, whether it’s Mad Max movies, Walkabout, Wake in Fright, or Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock.”

The LeftoversSeason 3 begins April 20, Thursdays at 8.30pm AEST, on Foxtel’s showcase or on Foxtel’s streaming service Foxtel Play. Following the broadcast customers can watch The Leftovers any time via Foxtel on Demand which is available on internet connected iQ boxes, Foxtel Play or enjoyed on the move on Foxtel Go, Foxtel’s mobile app. Foxtel Go and Foxtel On Demand are included with all Foxtel and Foxtel Play subscriptions at no extracost.

Do you agree with this article? Think you know your TV? Well, show us. We're on the hunt for talented and knowledgeable writers to provide content for DeciderTV. If you think you have what it takes, Let us know.